Bloomberg Praises Republican Hosts, Defends Self

Michael Bloomberg said the reception he got from Republicans at a dinner in Queens Village last night "couldn’t have been nicer."

"The only complaint I have is I didn’t get any food," Bloomberg said when I asked him about the event at his press conference in City Hall this afternoon.

Republicans don't necessarily feel as warmly towards the mayor. Some have complained they feel the mayor used the party to run for mayor twice, and abandoned them when he re-registered as an independent in the run-up to a potential presidential race last year.

When asked about the criticism in general, Bloomberg said political parties "are not jobs programs."

He said, "They’re to try to pick the best candidates. I was honored to be picked by the Republican party to run twice. I thought we couldn’t get through a Democratic primary certainly the first time around and I’m not sure the second time. And I appreciate that, and I have absolutely no idea what we’re going to do later on."